“The staff at NorthBay Healthcare and Atlas have created and maintained a dynamic program that delivered convincing results with a reduction in caregiver injury, we are able to extend the careers of our nurses and enhance the experience of the patients.”‍

Linda Pryor, Senior Risk Manager, NorthBay Healthcare

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The Association of Occupational Health Professionals Publishes Article: “Creating a Culture of Worker Safety: Evidence-Based Safe Mobility in the ICU” Using The Atlas Mobility Program

The AOHP is dedicated to the heal safety, and well-being of healthcare personnel. AOHP is the only national professional organization with the exclusive mission of addressing the needs and concerns of occupational health professionals in healthcare settings. Occupational health nurses/professionals take responsibility for employee care. They have a responsibility to advocate for organizational policies that help to recognize occupational hazards and advocate for new and safe technologies. Over 1,000 occupational health nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, and physician assistants belong to AOHP, the single best resource for addressing the unique issues of occupational health. Subsequently, attendees were challenged to discuss tips to not only survive but thrive in the face of competing priorities. The AOHP Journal recently published an article featuring The Atlas Mobility Program in their summer issue. The Journal is written by occupational health professionals in healthcare and other experts in the fields of nursing, medicine, human resources, safety, risk management, and the law.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, clinical resources have been in high demand. As a result, Atlas evolved to meet the current landscape and clinically enhanced the Mobility Coach Program. As part of the Atlas Mobility Coach Program, Mobility Coaches have become part of the hospitals’ Ph.D. team to safely mobilize patients (see the Proning Safely Series here), in many cases assisting in reducing the length of stay of patients in the ICU. Dr. Karen Giuliano Ph.D., RN, FAAN, MBA, Dr. Susan Gallagher Ph.D., RN, WOCN, CBN, CSPHP, and Linda Pryor, Senior Risk Manager at NorthBay Healthcare published the success of early and progressive mobility in the ICU and how it not only benefits patient outcomes, but also greatly enhances worker safety.

Having published over 80 articles, Giuliano’s latest project with Atlas for AOHP explores the intersection of workers' safety and patient safety as well as leading, lagging and real time indicators that support the efficacy of Atlas’ mobility program. Click or read below to discover the impact of an early and progressive mobility program in the ICU, the associated ROI and leadership satisfaction and improvements in healthcare worker safety results!

The peer-reviewed article concluded that, “Early and progressive mobility in the ICU has been successfully implemented in numerous published studies and quality improvement projects, and has demonstrated important benefits to patient care. While the case example [in the article] used a specific, commercially available model for mobility (Atlas Lift Tech), our broader goal was to describe the components needed for a balanced approach which addresses the needs of both patients and staff. These include a robust implementation strategy which incorporates an evidence-based protocol with interdisciplinary team engagement, a standardized mobility program that incorporates attention to occupational safety, data tracking to increase understanding of mobility needs in different clinical areas, investment in appropriate safe patient handling equipment, and the use of trained mobility personnel. These components are fundamentally important to help minimize risk, maximize benefit, and create an impactful, cost-effective, and sustainable mobility program that improves safety for both patients and frontline healthcare staff.

Atlas is committed to the safety of both patients and caregivers as made evident in the article mentioned above. When it comes to safe mobility there isn’t just one solution. Let us help you find the sustainable program that’s just right for your facility.